On 6 November 2026, Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF) published the Review of the National Action Plan for Open Research (2022-2025), which finds that Ireland has made substantial progress in embedding open research across the national research system.
This review is the first in a series assessing the progress achieved under Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030 (the Plan). It covers the period from November 2022 to December 2025 and identifies opportunities to strengthen national implementation ahead of the next review in 2028. It consolidates evidence from NORF-funded projects, coordination efforts led through NORF and independent institutional and organisational initiatives.
The review reflects Ireland’s commitment to embedding open research practices across all disciplines in line with Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. It documents significant achievements across the Plan’s three thematic areas: establishing a culture of open research, achieving 100% open access to research publications and ensuring that research data and other outputs are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). It also covers actions to enhance coordination, implementation and monitoring. NORF-funded projects have advanced national capabilities in open access publishing and monitoring, data stewardship, research assessment reform and open research training. The review also identifies targeted areas for continued investment and policy development.
Speaking on the publication of the review, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Mr James Lawless TD said:
“I very much welcome the publication of the first review of the National Action Plan for Open Research. While the review considers activities until December 2025, NORF and community-wide projects have continued throughout 2026, ensuring they continue to make significant progress towards the plan. I and my Department remain committed to achieving the ambitions of the plan under NORF’s new host IReL, and I look forward to this next chapter in Ireland’s Open Research journey.”
The Review of the National Action Plan for Open Research (2022-2025) was prepared by Dr Michelle Doran and NORF, with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), Higher Education Authority (HEA), Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) and Irish Research eLibrary (IReL) consulted as part of the review process.
The review will be a central focus of workshops and discussions at the upcoming National Open Research Festival (NORFest) 2026, which will be hosted by DRI and IReL at the Royal Irish Academy on 17 November 2026.
The Review of the National Action Plan for Open Research (2022-2025) is available on the NORF website and is preserved for long-term access on the Digital Repository of Ireland: https://doi.org/10.7486/DRI.ws85qp21h
